With as many as 17 London based clubs playing at a professional level, the city has the highest density of pro football teams in the world. Naturally this draws players from all over the globe which means that multiculturalism and multilingualism play a huge role in English football.
When many professional footballers move to play football in London, they either speak no or minimal English. What’s more, many managers and coaches also don’t possess English as their first language either. And so it is language teachers and translators who play an essential role in bridging communication gaps between team members from different countries.
It is commonly known that everyone learns better when they are having fun. So just like the football professionals, combining language learning with your passion is a great way to keep yourself motivated and prevent yourself from giving up in difficult moments.
Football Teams in London England
Not only is the English Premier League considered one of the most prestigious football leagues in the world, thanks to its international players, it also has a vast level of diversity.
And with Arsenal, Brentford, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United plying their trade in it, you really can take your pick when it comes to Premier League football teams in London.
One of the most fascinating things to do in London to combine learning English and football is to do a stadium tour. It will give your English listening and reading skills a really great workout.
All of the above football clubs offer them, but there are actually a total of 21 football stadiums in London. Going behind the scenes will give a better understanding of not only the team, but also the culture and language associated with the team too.
Watching football on TV and challenging yourself to follow the English commentary is also a great way to strengthen your listening skills, as the visuals provide contextual clues to guide you.
Matches are screened live at thousands of pubs across London which also double as perfect places to socialise and interact with English speaking football fans.
Learn English with Football
Because there are so many football teams in London, there are plentiful opportunities to attend matches. They are a fantastic way of immersing yourself in a cultural exchange as an English language learner and you will be exposed to lots of English football vocabulary.
English football supporters get very involved in the games and the atmosphere tends to be very lively with lots of chants and football songs being sung. As a football fan, you’ll likely have already heard of ‘One-Nil to the Arsenal’, ‘I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles’ (West Ham United), ‘Oh, When the Spurs Go Marching In’ (Tottenham Hotspurs) and ‘Blue Is the Colour’ (Chelsea).
Getting involved and singing along is an awesome way to memorise new words, practice pronunciation and develop an understanding of how humour is used in the English language.
With the sport as popular as it is in the UK, lots of London based homestay hosts and language exchange partners are big football fans, so you can expect they’ll likely want to join you at a match or two. They might even have a season ticket you could use.
And it’s not just football teams in London, you will also have the chance to watch a variety of the best teams from around the UK with more of the best individual players from around the globe.
Learn English in London
Football provides lots of engaging language learning content if you’re a fan. So whilst enjoying a language immersion experience in London, there are also lots of other ways that you can learn English with football.
You can challenge your language exchange partner or homestay host to a few FIFA matches in English. You can read match reports in English, listen to football commentary on English radio or tune into one of the many football podcasts on Spotify with them.
There are quite a few really good British football documentaries and films you could watch together too, such as Welcome to Wrexham, Sunderland ‘Til I Die and Leeds United: Take Us Home.
And when you head back home, be sure to keep tracking the progress of your favourite football club in London via match reports and news stories in the English language.
To find a homestay or language exchange with fellow football fans in London, simply register here for free and get started today.